Traditonal Korean Performance captured through immersive digital content- Jeokbyeokga by Yun Jin-cheol

This service is the result of a collaboration between the Center for Intangible Culture Studies (CICS) and Korea Electronics Technology Institue (KETI) to carry out <3D performances of traditional Korean heritage performances and development of XR service platform technology>. This project is supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Korea. The research aims to provide immersive content for traditional performances through high-quality digital data archiving, based on performances in the field, creating 3D performance and XR service platform technology development for the preservation of the original form of traditional performances and the creation of new non-face-to-face inventory services. The key elements of this research are 1) multi-sensor-based high-quality 3D data acquisition device for performers, 2) AI-based performance site high-quality 3D performance generation system, 3) digital archiving-based interactive XR service platform, which digitizes all performance elements of traditional performances as it preserves its original form and meaning. It maximizes audience immersion by providing new services linked with various digital immersive contents. As the pilot application content of the first stage of the study, the research results were applied to Jeokbyeokga by Yun Jin-cheol, a master singer. Visit to expierence the traditional immersive content: <a href="https://c11.kr/keti-virtual-3d-pansori">https://c11.kr/keti-virtual-3d-pansori</a>

Launch of a Fund to Assist Intangible Cultural Heritage NGOs and Communities in Situations of Crises

Launch of a Fund to Assist Intangible Cultural Heritage NGOs and Communities in Situations of Crises Please click on this link to donate: <a href="https://gofund.me/431b7e64">https://gofund.me/431b7e64</a> The ICH NGO Forum is the membership organization of NGOs that are accredited to UNESCO’s 2003 Convention for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage. It operates, among other things, as a networking organization among NGOs most of whom operate on the ground working with local communities that are the bearers of this heritage and for whom it is often essential for their livelihoods and resilience. The Forum is launching this fundraising campaign to assist accredited ICH NGOs and communities in emergency situations. A growing number of NGOs and communities are being impacted by climate change (floods, cyclones, mud slides, heat waves, forest fires, drought) and armed conflict (destruction of physical ICH spaces, mortality, forced migration, loss of ICH practices), the two being often linked together. It appears to be increasingly certain this situation will expand over time. Over the past year, floods in Pakistan, heat waves in Africa and Southern Europe, and armed conflict in Eastern Europe and Africa have made the ICH NGO Forum aware of an urgent need to assist NGOs and communities in situations of crises. The fund aims to help safeguard threatened traditional practices and ICH bearers, but also to use living heritage in creative and constructive ways to help populations overcome the disruptive effects of natural disasters and armed conflict (i.e. basic physical needs, psychological needs, resilience and recovery). The fund will be managed by the ICH NGO Forum Executive Board and made available to an NGO or other civil society group located in any country in the world experiencing situations of crisis caused by armed conflict or natural disasters, considered emergency situations. The range of situations defined as emergency will be defined, while allowing for flexibility, following Article 50 of the Operational Directives of the 2003 Convention on disaster response which provides a definition and examples of such emergency situations. The fund is geared to respond quickly to the immediate needs of NGOs and communities in the areas of safeguarding ICH. Please click on this link to donate: https://gofund.me/431b7e64 Fundraising Committee Tamara Nikolić Đerić, Association House of Batana (Croatia) Sekou Berte, Mali Cultural Heritage Agency (Mali) Laurier Turgeon, Laurier Turgeon – Folklore Studies Association of Canada (Canada) Martin Andrade Perez, Erigaie Foundation (Colombia) Mohamed Lemine Beidieu, Association mauritanienne pour la sauvegarde du partimoine culturel immatériel (Mauritania) Laurier Turgeon Professeur titulaire d'ethnologie et d'histoire Directeur de l'Institut du patrimoine culturel (IPAC) Directeur du Laboratoire d'enquête ethnologique et multimédia (LEEM) Directeur du programme en sciences historiques et études patrimoniales (BISHEP) Université Laval, Québec, Canada, G1V 0A6 Tél. 418-254-3907 <a href="www.leem.ulaval.ca">www.leem.ulaval.ca</a> Sekou Berte, Mali Cultural Heritage Agency (Mali) Laurier Turgeon, Laurier Turgeon – Folklore Studies Association of Canada (Canada) Martin Andrade Perez, Erigaie Foundation (Colombia) Mohamed Lemine Beidieu, Association mauritanienne pour la sauvegarde du partimoine culturel immatériel (Mauritania) Lancement d&#39;un fonds pour venir en aide aux ONG et aux communautés du patrimoine culturel immatériel en situation de crise (English Follows/ L’Anglais suit) Veuillez cliquer sur ce lien pour faire un don : https://gofund.me/431b7e6e Le Forum des ONG du PCI est une organisation qui vise à regrouper les membres des ONG accréditées auprès de la Convention de 2003 de l&#39;UNESCO pour la sauvegarde du patrimoine culturel immatériel. Il fonctionne, entre autres, comme une organisation de mise en réseau des ONG dont la plupart opèrent sur le terrain en travaillant avec les communautés locales qui sont les dépositaires de ce patrimoine et pour qui il est souvent essentiel pour assurer leurs moyens de subsistance et leur résilience. Le Forum lance cette campagne de collecte de fonds pour aider les ONG accréditées du PCI et les communautés dans des situations d&#39;urgence. Un nombre croissant d&#39;ONG et de communautés sont impactées par le changement climatique (inondations, cyclones, coulées de boue, vagues de chaleur, incendies de forêt, sécheresse) et les conflits armés (destruction des espaces physiques du PCI, mortalité, migration forcée, perte des pratiques du PCI), les deux étant souvent liés. Il semble de plus en plus certain que cette situation s&#39;aggravera avec le temps. Au cours de l&#39;année écoulée, les inondations au Pakistan, les vagues de chaleur en Afrique et en Europe du Sud et les conflits armés en Europe de l&#39;Est et en Afrique ont fait prendre conscience au Forum des ONG du PCI de l&#39;urgence de soutenir les ONG et les communautés en situation de crise. Le fonds vise à aider à sauvegarder les pratiques traditionnelles menacées et les détenteurs du PCI, mais aussi à utiliser le patrimoine vivant de manière créative et constructive pour aider les populations à surmonter les effets perturbateurs des catastrophes naturelles et des conflits armés (c&#39;est-à-dire les besoins physiques fondamentaux, les besoins psychologiques, la résilience et le rétablissement). Le fonds sera géré par le Conseil exécutif du Forum des ONG du PCI et mis à la disposition d&#39;une ONG ou d&#39;un autre groupe de la société civile situé dans n&#39;importe quel pays du monde connaissant des situations de crise causées par des conflits armés ou des catastrophes naturelles, considérées comme des situations d&#39;urgence. L&#39;éventail des situations qualifiées d&#39;urgence sera défini, tout en permettant une certaine flexibilité, conformément à l&#39;article 50 des Directives opérationnelles de la Convention de 2003 sur la réaction aux catastrophes qui fournit une définition et des exemples de telles situations d&#39;urgence. Le fonds est conçu pour répondre rapidement aux besoins immédiats des ONG et des communautés dans les domaines de la sauvegarde du PCI. Veuillez cliquer sur ce lien pour faire un don : https://gofund.me/431b7e64 Comité de la campagne de levée de fonds Tamara Nikolić Đerić, Association Maison de Batana (Croatie) Sekou Berte, Agence malienne du patrimoine culturel (Mali) Laurier Turgeon – Association canadienne d’ethnologie et de folklore (Canada) Martin Andrade Perez, Fondation Erigaie (Colombie) Mohamed Lemine Beidieu, Association mauritanienne pour la sauvegarde du partimoine culturel immatériel (Mauritanie)

Seventeenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage

The seventeenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage will be hosted by the Kingdom of Morocco in Rabat (Sofitel Rabat Jardin des Roses) from 28 November to 3 December 2022. H.E. Mr Samir Addahre, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of the Kingdom of Morocco to UNESCO, will chair this annual gathering which will be attended by representatives of States Parties, non-governmental organizations, cultural institutions and other stakeholders from across the globe. Participants are invited to register as soon as possible and in any case before 14 November 2022. General information for this session will be published on this webpage. An information and exchange meeting was held on 4 October 2022 at UNESCO Headquarters. The working documents of the meeting will be published on this webpage by 31 October 2022.

The 2022 Jeonju International Awards for Promoting Intangible Cultural Heritage (2022 JIAPICH)

As planned this year, the 2022 Jeonju International Awards for Promoting Intangible Cultural Heritage (2022 JIAPICH) went successfully. The 2022 JIAPICH Award Ceremony, organized by the Center for Intangible Culture Studies (CICS), ended successfully on October 19. The winners were the Ms Anka Raik from Bosnia Herzegovina, The Ifugao Museum in the Philippines and The Serfenta Association in Poland. The Winners, intangible heritage Experts, and the general public gathered together at the Korean National Center for Intangible Heritage in Jeonju to share the value of intangible heritage. The video of the award ceremony will be uploaded to the YouTube channel Intangible Cultural Research Institute. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/CICSinKorea/featured">https://www.youtube.com/c/CICSinKorea/featured</a>

ICH NGO FORUM - Newsletter

The ICH NGO Forum has the pleasure to announce that the Newsletter is now back with the publication of the first edition of 2022. The Forum remains committed to strengthening the active and meaningful participation of NGOs in the implementation of the 2003 Convention on Intangible Cultural Heritage. Likewise, the Forum would like to inform its membership organizations that the Newsletter is now open to welcome news on shared mutual experiences, key updates that speak to the sustainable founding mission of our Forum. (Sekou Berte, Communication Officier, Steering Committee of the ICH NGO Forum)

Publication of the Evaluation of UNESCO’s Action in the framework of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage

This second evaluation focussing on the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (hereafter the 2003 Convention) marks the first follow-up exercise to the cycle of Internal Oversight Service evaluations of UNESCO’s six culture conventions. The main purpose of this 2021 evaluation was to generate findings, lessons learned, and recommendations regarding the relevance and effectiveness of UNESCO’s action in the framework of the 2003 Convention.As the second youngest UNESCO Culture Convention, the 2003 Convention has been one of the most successful, not only because it has reached nearly universal ratification only fifteen years after entering into force, but especially because it has succeeded in raising awareness of the distinct nature and importance of intangible cultural heritage. Stakeholders attribute this achievement largely to the Convention’s Representative List as well as to UNESCO’s vast capacity building programme.At the same time, the 2003 Convention has been a victim of its own success. As demand for UNESCO support grows, the Secretariat is unable to adequately respond to all requests and has had to give precedence to statutory work over important priorities that include strengthening capacity building and policy guidance as well as managing and communicating on the considerable amounts of knowledge generated around the Convention. Strategic decisions on priorities, particularly on the need to focus on programme support versus statutory requirements and on use of its limited resources will need to be made in the near future. Evaluation of UNESCO’s action in the framework of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Link: <a href="https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000380015?2=null&queryId=2c4a5731-c4a2-4ff4-bfe3-884155eb8fee">https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000380015?2=null&queryId=2c4a5731-c4a2-4ff4-bfe3-884155eb8fee</a>

CICS Interview Series

The Center for Intangible Culture Studies in Korea's YouTube channel provides contents that are both educational and inspiring to those in the field of heritage studies. The CICS Interview Series was started in 2021 with the idea around recording ICH experts around the world that can be informative to those in research, academia, and with interest in the field of ICH. The latest interviewee is Professor Laurier Turgeon of Lavar University in Quebec, Canada, who is also the president of the steering committee of the 2022 ICH NGO Forum. Check out the interview through YouTube link below! CICS Interview Series: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHx4_DBXCKo&t=1574s">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHx4_DBXCKo&t=1574s</a>

2021 Jeonju ICH Awards

Watch the 2021 Jeonju ICH Awards: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aLNij99bBI&t=1320s">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aLNij99bBI&t=1320s</a> Watch the 2021 Jeonju ICH Zoom Festival:<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7lM8VCY4zU&t=289s">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7lM8VCY4zU&t=289s</a>

INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE for Sustainable Management of HISTORIC TOWNS in South Asia: Theory to Practice

ICOMOS India is orgaising an e-SYMPOSIUM on INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE for Sustainable Management of HISTORIC TOWNS in South Asia: Theory to Practice. Spaced across 5 events from May-July2021, experts and emerging professionals from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka will exchange knowledge and practices. For more details, you may see the video <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wr3tIY76JQA">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wr3tIY76JQA.</a> Please register in advance for this webinar series/event: <a href="https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUkcuusqTwvE9GcAUZWGeuE-zrSFgVvGbCz">https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUkcuusqTwvE9GcAUZWGeuE-zrSFgVvGbCz</a>

Reggae groove kicks off 15th Intangible Heritage Committee session online

The warmth of reggae marked the opening on 14 December of the 15th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, chaired by H.E. Ms Olivia Grange, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport of Jamaica. More than 800 online participants in nearly 140 countries are registered to attend six online sessions chaired from Jamaica with the support of UNESCO’s Secretariat in Paris. During the opening, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azouley stressed that “intangible heritage is indeed a powerful way of healing the wounds in our societies. This is true for tears in the social fabric; it is also true for the fracture between humanity and nature. (…). Intangible heritage is also a resource that can be used to rise above political disputes, acknowledging the ties between people.” Ms Azoulay ended her address “Because respecting heritage is not only about protecting it; it is also about making it known to future generations. This means ensuring that young people can appropriate heritage, take pride in it, and renew it.” In this spirit, UNESCO launched a new tool Dive into living heritage and sustainable development that points to the interconnectedness of the elements inscribed on the lists of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals set by the international community for 2030. Link: 15th session of the Intergovernmental Committee (14 December 2020 – 19 December 2020) <a href="https://ich.unesco.org/en/15com">https://ich.unesco.org/en/15com</a>

Follow-Up Activities of the Steering Committee (SC), 3 November 2020 (13th meeting)

Follow-Up Activities of the Steering Committee (SC), 3 November 2020 (13th meeting) Current issues ◼ ICH NGO Conference co-organized by ICHCAP and ICH NGO Forum Sakr informed the committee about the ongoing preparation of the conference. Janet Blake accepted to serve as one of moderators. There is a problem to get in touch with an OECD representative from Latin America; Caicedo expects his response by tomorrow. A representative from Amagugu International Heritage Centre should send her full application; Nyathi will mediate concerning this request. The committee agreed that Nömgård would greet the participants at the beginning of the conference. She will also invite Tim Curtis to address the conference participants, and Sakr will provide her with background information. An updated version of the material of the conference has just been published by ICHCAP, and these days it will also be published on our website and through social media; Sakr will contact Desiderio in this regard. ◼ Next Newsletter of the Forum This morning, Nyathi has sent to the Steering Committee the very first draft of the Newsletter. The members agreed that this is a good starting point, but instead of taking over the complete documents (such as our report and intervention for 8.GA, our report for 15.COM, call for nominations for the SC, etc.), they should rather be summarized, emphasizing the rationale and main points, and providing links to original documents. Also, the parts relating to currently ongoing activities should be updated. Therefore, instead of taking over the call for nomination, the Newsletter should include the latest information on the election process (such as basic information about the candidates, if they will be known at the time of publication), and a report (instead of an announcement) about the conference co-organized with ICHCAP. Nyathi will continue to work on the Newsletter, and send the new version well in advance to the next meeting of the Steering Committee. ◼ Preparation of programme for 15.COM Nömgård informed the members that the Bureau of 15.COM has just decided to consult the members of the Committee if 15.COM should be postponed or held as scheduled but in fully online format. At this moment, unfortunately, it is not know when the decision will be made. Nevertheless, we have to continue our planning as if 15.COM will be held as scheduled, from 14 to 19 December 2020. a. The work of the Election Board Nikolov provided a report on his and Desiderio’s correspondence with the Election Board. All of them will meet online on 10 November to define all details regarding the technical realization of the election process. A part of it, as suggested by the members of the Steering Committee, should be to discuss the format of presentation of candidates. For instance, they may address the membership in a form of video presentations, with subtitles in other official language of the Convention. Nikolov should also inform the Election Board that 15.COM might be postponed. The members of the Steering Committee also touched upon a problem that the new Committee will be formed, and meet and work until 16.COM only online, possibly in some cases even without any previous face-to-face experience with other members of the Committee, what will surely represent a challenge. b. ICH NGO Forum General Assembly Nömgård proposed, and members of the Steering Committee agreed upon the following draft agenda, as well as and upon the division of labour on specific agenda items of the ICH NGO Forum General Assembly, scheduled for Wednesday, 16 December: 1. Adoption of the agenda 2. Report of the Steering Committee on its work from December 2019 to December 2020 – Caicedo will prepare the draft, relying on the minutes of our meetings; the report should be sent to the membership four week in advance to the Assembly, that is, by 18 November 2020; 3. Financial report of the Steering Committee – Choi will prepare the draft; the report should also be sent to the membership by 18 November; 4. Elections of new members of the ICH NGO Forum Steering Committee – In this cycle, the elections pertain to four members representing Africa, Asia and Pacific states, Western Europe and North America, and International NGOs. Announcement of election results will be made by the Election Board; 5. ICH NGO Forum Plan of activities for 2021 – The plan should incorporate the work of the Steering Committee, Working Groups, #HeritageAlive, regional groups, and main projects. Following our report for 15.COM and its draft decision, as well as our plan of activities that was approved last year, the members of the Steering Committee have agreed that a special emphasis should be given to: a) advisory functions of NGOs to the Committee on specific thematic issues, including their more active contribution to the statutory sessions (through the Forum’s report and/or its interventions on specific agenda items); b) elaboration of ways and means to strengthen the network of ICH NGOs in under-represented regions, and to overcome unbalanced geographical distribution of NGOs accredited to the Convention; c) development of capacity-building material intended specifically for NGOs, carried out in collaboration with the Secretariat of the Convention (and depending on available resources); d) more active involvement of the Forum in the second cycle of regionally based periodic reports and, more broadly speaking, in follow-up (reporting and monitoring) on inscribed elements; e) participation in the project “Culture Beyond Borders” guided by the Network of European Museum Organizations, NEMO (depending on whether the project will be accepted by the funding agendy). 6. Other business. Apart from the above agenda items, it is not clear whether the GA should approve the minutes (or perhaps a summary) of the General Meeting held in 2019 and if this should be one of agenda items. Nömgård will consult Hanna Schreiber regarding this matter. As for Art. 5 of the Bylaws, concerning the membership of accredited NGOs in the Forum, the members of the Steering Committee agreed that it may not need revision at this stage of the development of the Forum, even more so because the Secretariat has recently included within the accreditation and re-accreditation forms a question pertaining to NGOs’ membership in the Forum. It means that in not later than four years from now, the Forum will have a completely clear, unambiguous and affirmative answer concerning the membership of accredited NGOs in the Forum. Therefore the amendment to Art. 5 can be made in one of the following years. As for Art. 21 of the Bylaws, concerning the incompatibility of serving in the Steering Committee and concomitantly in the official delegation of a State Party, Ceribašić has proposed to suggest to the General Assembly to prolong a decision on exceptional basis – the decision “to suspend the application of art. 21 of the Bylaws” – until the General Assembly in 2021. Given the obstacles caused by the pandemic, this could be both the easiest and the most adequate solution. On the other hand, Caicedo proposed to prepare a reflection on pros and cons of Art. 21, which can help the General Assembly to come to the most appropriate decision. He will prepare a draft until the next meeting of the Steering Committee, while Nömgård will consult Schreiber whether the last year decision on exceptional basis should be a separate agenda item or it may be included under “other business”. c. ICH NGO Forum programme during 15.COM Nömgård was in contact with Albert van der Zeijden, who is expected to coordinate the programme of our mini-symposium on ICH and sustainable tourism during and after COVID-19, as well as with Jorijn Neyrinck concerning a capacity-building session for newly accredited NGOs, Leena Marsio concerning the wheel chart of sustainability, and Eivind Falk concerning the #HeritageAlive. All of them are willing to prepare the sessions in coordination with the Steering Committee, but actual schedule cannot be defined at the moment because the dates of 15.COM are not yet confirmed. Likewise, Nikolov contacted chairs of all working groups, asking if they would like to organize their online meetings during 15.COM. Ananya Bhattacharya, chair of the Working Group on Overall Results Framework, and Antoine Gauthier, chair of the Working Group on Ethics, responded positively, but same as in the former cases, the exact schedule cannot be defined at the moment. As for English-French interpretation service provided by the Conseil québécois du patrimoine vivant, Choi will check with Gauthier if it may be extended to include both the General Assembly and a mini-symposium on ICH and sustainable tourism. d. ICH NGO Forum report for 15.COM On 22 October, Nömgård and Ceribašić had a meeting with the Secretariat, namely with Tim Curtis, Fumiko Ohinata, Elena Constantinou and Leandro Peredo. Their useful remarks and comments were observed in the revised version of the report, which was drafted by Ceribašić and further on discussed, corrected and endorsed by the members of the ad hoc working group and the Steering Committee. This revised version was sent to the Secretariat on 28 October. The Secretariat is expected to read the document once again, especially examining the draft decision and all its nuances. ------------------------------------ Minutes of the SC's monthly virtual meeting are uploaded a month later after the confirmation in the next meeting. See more details at the SC's Monthly Minutes. Link: <a href="http://ichngo.net/SC/Minutes">http://ichngo.net/SC/Minutes</a>

Follow-Up Activities of the Steering Committee (SC), 14 October 2020 (12th meeting)

Follow-Up Activities of the Steering Committee (SC), 14 October 2020 (12th meeting) Current issues ◼ ICH NGO Conference co-organized by ICHCAP and ICH NGO Forum Sakr reported about the ongoing preparation of the conference. Caicedo helped her to establish contact with an OECD representative who will be one of keynote speakers. Sakr suggested to the Steering Committee, and members accepted, to invite Matti Hakamäki to present the objectives of the Forum’s working group in-the-making on geographical imbalance of accredited NGOs, as well as to invite additional participants representing African perspectives on ICH and resilience in crisis, such as Nyathi. Nyathi accepted the invitation; he will prepare presentation about indigenous system of knowledge in reference to COVID-19, while Sakr will contact Hakamäki regarding his participation. ◼ Next Newsletter of the Forum Once again, the members of the Steering Committee confirmed for the next Newsletter to be prepared and published before 15.COM. It will include outcomes of 8.GA and the conference co-organized with ICHCAP, our report for 15.COM and other activities attached to 15.COM, as well as material related to our General Assembly during 15.COM, including our annual report, plan for the next year and information on the election of four new members of the Steering Committee. It was decided that the deadline for completing all contributions would be 18 November. Nyathi will immediately start to collect and edit the material, relying on minutes of the Steering Committee and other sources, and present the draft versions to the members of the Steering Committee as they are drafted. ◼ Preparation of programme for 15.COM a. The work of the Election Board On 8 October, the Election Board launched a call for candidates for the Steering Committee. Four vacant seats are for the members representing the regions of Africa, Asian and Pacific states, Western Europe and North America, and the international NGOs. The deadline for applications is 5 November, while the election will take place online using online voting application on 14 and 15 December. The results will be announced on 16 December at the General Assembly of the ICH NGO Forum. Nikolov informed the Steering Committee that Desiderio checked the functionality of the chosen application called Electiobuddy, and that the complete list of accredited NGOs that are eligible to vote (one vote for each accredited NGO) has been verified. Desiderio and Nikolov will continue to serve as a technical help to the Election Board. b. ICH NGO Forum General Assembly The Forum’s General Assembly is scheduled for Wednesday, 16 December. It will be held online, through Zoom. Exact time will be defined depending on the timetable of 15.COM, and taking into account different time zones. As always, participants will need to register in advance. However, since our Zoom subscription is limited to 100 participants, after fulfilling the quota, additional participants will have opportunity to join the Assembly through live streaming on our channel on YouTube. No less than four weeks prior to the General Assembly, the Steering Committee has to propose the agenda of the General Assembly, prepare and distribute through our website and by email the annual report on the Forum’s programmes, services and partnerships, annual financial report, and annual plan providing a framework for the Forum’s activities, presented both in English and French, while the General Assembly is in charge to examine and approve these two reports and the plan (cf. Articles 9, 13, 15 and 18 of the Bylaws). The Assembly will be fully bilingual, thanks to generous support for English-French interpretation service provided by the Conseil québécois du patrimoine vivant. The Steering Committee agreed that Nikolov will announce to Desiderio and coordinate with him a series of technical services to be fulfilled during November and up to 15.COM, including the creation of registration forms, the distribution of material related to GA, as well as the distribution of the Newsletter to our member organizations, technical services to the Election Board, and technical support to online conduct of GA and other meetings attached to 15.COM. Choi will coordinate the smooth functioning of English-French interpretation, whether in a form of simultaneous or consecutive interpretation. The division of labour concerning the drafting of our annual report, annual financial report and the annual plan will be set in due time. c. ICH NGO Forum programme during 15.COM The members of the Steering Committee have examined all previous plans and subsequent suggestions related to our programme during 15.COM. They have agreed that despite disadvantageous circumstances, it is still worth trying to organize an online mini-symposium on sustainable tourism after the crises, in line with our plan of activities approved by the General Meeting in December 2019. Nömgård will contact Albert van der Zeijden, the chair of our working group on research, who is expected to coordinate the programme of the symposium. It could be held as previously planned, on Sunday, 13 December, a day prior to the start of 15.COM. Besides, Nikolov will contact chairs of all working groups, asking if they would like to organize their online meetings open to the whole membership during a week prior to 15.COM, while Nömgård will contact Jorijn Neyrinck concerning the presentation of IMP project and a capacity-building session for newly-accredited NGOs, Leena Marsio concerning the wheel chart of sustainability, and Eivind Falk concerning the #HeritageAlive! d. ICH NGO Forum report for 15.COM The report was sent to the Secretariat on 30 September. As much as possible, it was created relying on the participatory approach – from an open call to all accredited NGOs to join ad hoc working group for the preparation of the report, to the actual work of the group in question (composed of members who joined the group and members of the Steering Committee), to the feedback of the whole membership on the first draft, and, finally, to the last cycle of consultations leading to the document sent to the Secretariat. Ceribašić played a crucial role in drafting the document and coordinating the whole process. A meeting with the Secretariat regarding the report is scheduled for 22 October. Nömgård, Caicedo and Ceribašić will represent the Forum due to their functions of the chair, vice-chair and secretary of the Steering Committee. ------------------------------------ Minutes of the SC's monthly virtual meeting are uploaded a month later after the confirmation in the next meeting. See more details at the SC's Monthly Minutes. Link: <a href="http://ichngo.net/SC/Minutes">http://ichngo.net/SC/Minutes</a>

Webinar on “Crafting Resilience: Craft Communities and their Resilience as Embedded in the Traditional Knowledge: A Critical Component of Intangible Cultural Heritage” organized by ICOMOS India and NSC-Intangible Cultural Heritage

Happy to share about the upcoming webinar “Crafting Resilience: Craft communities and their resilience as embedded in the traditional knowledge: A critical component of intangible cultural heritage” organized by ICOMOS India and NSC-Intangible Cultural Heritage as a part of ICOMOS International webinar series on 31st October’ 2020 from 11 am GMT to 1 pm GMT (4.30 to 6.30 IST). Four case studies from different parts of India with a historic perspective of crafts communities, their confrontation with disasters and the success stories of adaptations and movements of crafts revival across India will be shared Please register in advance at: <a href="https://us02web.zoom.us/.../tZYpf-qrpjkpG9Kt55DuM..."> https://us02web.zoom.us/.../tZYpf-qrpjkpG9Kt55DuM...</a> The webinar will also be streamed live in Facebook page of ICOMOS India <a href="https://www.facebook.com/icomosindia">https://www.facebook.com/icomosindia</a>

Revitalizing women’s chants of Taroudant, High Atlas of Morocco

In the High Atlas of Morocco, in the town of Taroudant, there is a practise known as Chikhate – singing groups consisting of women who travel from region to region performing chants at important social events and festivities. The chants of the Chikate are renowned for their beautiful harmonies, which are acompanied by a variety of instruments and perfomed to choreographed dances. Gradually, however, modern music and DJ shows have taken the place of Chikhate performances at weddings or social celebrations. To help safeguard their heritage, the remaining groups of performers have decided to revitalize the practise. In collaboration with the Moroccan Association Bhayer Dalya and with the support of the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund, Chikate groups are working to raise awareness among younger generations of their tradition and are preparing an inventory of their chants and verses. Over the last three years, Bhayer Dalya has interviewed the women of Taroudant, who still practice these chants and is training young women to inventory and safeguard their living heritage. This participatory process works to strengthen the creation of federations of Chikate groups. In addition, the association has produced a documentary video explaining the history of the chants of the women of the High Atlas of Morocco in their own words. International assistance: Revitalization of the female chants of Taroudant (2017) <a href="https://ich.unesco.org/en/assistances/revitalization-of-the-female-chants-of-taroudant-01307"> https://ich.unesco.org/en/assistances/revitalization-of-the-female-chants-of-taroudant-01307</a>

Follow-Up Activities of the Steering Committee (SC), 16 September 2020

Follow-Up Activities of the Steering Committee (SC), 16 September 2020 (11th meeting) Current Issues ◼ ICH NGO Conference co-organized by ICHCAP and ICH NGO Forum Sakr is continuously in contact with ICHCAP concerning the online conference “ICH and resilience in crisis: Implication in the Era of B.C. (Before Corona) and A.C. (After Corona)”. The organizers have selected presentations and participants for the conference, and ICHCAP is in contract with all of them. The selection of keynote speakers is in the process, following also the suggestions received from the Steering Committee in August. Besides, the ICHCAP asked the Forum if we can provide a congratulatory message for its 2020 World Forum for ICH in late September, and thus Nömgård sent our greeting in a form of a short video. ◼ Next Newsletter of the Forum The members of the Steering Committee confirmed for the next Newsletter to be prepared and published before 15.COM. ◼ Reflection on 8.GA and Forum’s discussion sessions related to it Caicedo provided an overview of the Forum’s two online sessions at which participants discussed programme of 8.GA. One was organized prior to 8.GA, on 1 September, and the other one after 8.GA, on 14 September in English and on 15 September in French. Those in English were facilitated by Caicedo, and the one in French by Choi. Apart from agenda items of 8.GA, in particular the reform of the listing mechanism, the role of NGOs in the Convention, and a new initiative to examine the accreditation of NGOs from non-States Parties, participants also discussed the functioning of the Forum, certain aspects of the online voting system, the sharing of best safeguarding practices, and the examples of good cooperation between NGOs and governments. This last topic, as some of the participants suggested, could be included in our programme for 15.COM. The French session was poorly attended, probably because French-speaking colleagues, majority of whom are from Africa, have weak Internet connection. Therefore it was shorter than initially planned. As for the Forum’s more direct and more visible involvement in the work of 8.GA, it was realized through our statement, presented by Nömgård on 8 September in a form of a video message, and through our intervention on agenda item 11, related to the reflection on the listing mechanisms, which was read to the Committee by Fumiko Ohinata from the Secretariat. ◼ Preparation of programme for 15.COM a. The work of the Election Board At the online session following 8.GA, Ananya Bhattacharya, one of the members of the Election Board, expressed her concern for the lack of coordination between the Election Board and the Steering Committee. It has appeared, however, that the major problem is in a lack of clarity concerning the authority of the Election Board, in contrast to only a supporting technical role that the Steering Committee may play. For the 2020 elections, it seems necessary to enable online voting, as well as to allow for the candidates to present their candidatures online, although the existing election rules do not provide for such options. Nevertheless, the Election Board has an authority to determine modalities of the elections, relying in that on Art. 23 of the Bylaws, which says that “[a]ll other policies and procedures regarding the election of the Steering Committee shall be determined by the Election Board.” The members of the Steering Committee agreed to urgently clarify this matter with the Election Board. As for the technical solution, they agreed to purchase a certified online voting software – instead of designing the voting platform within the Forum’s website – to additionally secure secret voting and avoid any possible doubt concerning their counting. The price of such independent certified online platforms is 13€ for a seat, that is, 52 € in total. Since the Steering Committee has no access to the Forum’s account, the needed amount should be secured through donation, most likely by the Nömgård’s NGO. b. ICH NGO Forum report for 15.COM On 16 September, Ceribašić has completed the draft of the report and circulated it to the members of ad hoc working group and members of the Steering Committee. In parallel with expected revisions of the draft within this group, Choi will make translation to French, so that both English and French versions can be sent to the membership on 20 or 21 September, asking for their feedback until 26 or 27 September. This will be followed by the last cycle of consultations and corrections by the working group and the Steering Committee. The report should be sent to UNESCO by 30 September. ------------------------------------ Minutes of the SC's monthly virtual meeting are uploaded a month later after the confirmation in the next meeting. See more details at the SC's Monthly Minutes. Link: <a href="http://ichngo.net/SC/Minutes">http://ichngo.net/SC/Minutes </a>

Nearly US$500,000 granted to support safeguarding activities in Antigua and Bermuda, Burundi, Egypt, South Sudan and Uruguay

The Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund provides assistance to States Parties in their efforts to safeguard their living heritage. Last September, the Bureau of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage examined International Assistance requests under US$100,000. A total of US$479,994 was granted to implement safeguarding activities in Antigua and Bermuda, Burundi, Egypt, South Sudan and Uruguay: ◼ The project Strengthening capacities for the implementation of the 2003 Convention for the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage in Antigua and Barbuda aims to create the country’s first national inventory of living heritage, enhancing national technical capacities to harvest and interpret related data and improving upon the exchange of information between the public and private sectors as well as civil society. Two pilot safeguarding activities – focusing on the Game of Warri and Traditional Boatbuilding – will be undertaken to trial safeguarding measures and instruct future safeguarding activities. This project will be implemented jointly by the Ministry of Sports, Culture, National Festivals and the Arts and the UNESCO Cluster Office for the Caribbean in Kingston. ◼ The project Updating of the 2009 inventory of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) in Burundi with the participation of the communities consists of documenting the different elements of living heritage, establishing their degree of viability, and identifying their bearers and custodians. The implementers are expected to set up a sustainable framework in Burundi for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage and, as such, to contribute to the revision of the country’s cultural policy. It is also expected that living heritage will be integrated into school curricula. The project will be coordinated by the General Directorate of Culture and Arts, in close collaboration with the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research through the Burundi National Commission for UNESCO. ◼ The project entitled Inventory of intangible culture of craftsmanship in the core of Historic Cairo aims at preparing a community-based inventory of twenty types of crafts produced in the historic areas of Cairo, known as Historic Cairo, a World Heritage property under the 1972 Convention. An online inventory of traditional knowledge related to these crafts will be maintained and made accessible to the communities, and inventorying will be promoted as an important tool in the long-term safeguarding process. The Egyptian Society for Folk Traditions (ESFT) will implement the project. ◼ The project Development of an inventory of intangible cultural heritage in South Sudan foresees awareness-raising activities for the safeguarding of living heritage which may continue beyond the duration of the project. These include promoting youth and gender inclusion and involving various communities in the development of the inventory, to build capacities for safeguarding living heritage among future generations of different ethnolinguistic groups. The project will be led by the Ministry of Culture, in close collaboration with the UNESCO Office in Juba, the National Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee (NICHC) and the UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa. ◼ The project The Bandoneon: sound of Tango aims at safeguarding the bandoneon, a traditional instrument of Tango. Nowadays, however, there are only a handful of bandoneon players, most of whom are over 60 years of age, and only three luthiers dedicated to tuning and maintaining the bandoneon in Uruguay. It is also hoped that the increased visibility resulting from the project will make it easier to further promote practices related to the bandoneon and the safeguarding of Tango (a binational nomination between Argentina and Uruguay, inscribed on the Representative List in 2009). These grants represent the first instances of international assistance from the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund to Antigua and Bermuda, Burundi, Egypt and South Sudan and the second for Uruguay. Link: <a href="https://ich.unesco.org/en/news/nearly-us500000-granted-to-support-safeguarding-activities-in-antigua-and-bermuda-burundi-egypt-south-sudan-and-uruguay-13279"> https://ich.unesco.org/en/news/nearly-us500000-granted-to-support-safeguarding-activities-in-antigua-and-bermuda-burundi-egypt-south-sudan-and-uruguay-13279</a>

Follow-Up Activities of the Steering Committee (SC), 2 September 2020

■ Preparation of statement and programme for 8.GA The first online discussion session dedicated to 8.GA was held on 1 September via Zoom. Around twenty ICH NGOs took an opportunity to discuss the agenda and documents for 8.GA from the perspective of NGOs, as well as the Forum’s statement for 8.GA. On the basis of the outcomes of the session, the members of the Steering Committee finalized the statement. Since none of the members of the Steering Committee will attend the GA in person, our statement will be presented in a form of a video message, which will be broadcasted on 8 September after the report of the Secretariat on its activities. Besides, the Forum wants to intervene on agenda item 11, related to the reflection on the listing mechanisms of the Convention. The intervention has been finalized, but at the moment it is not yet known if the GA will allow its presentation. Another session of the Forum pertaining to 8.GA will be held via Zoom on 14 September in English and on 15 September in French to discuss the deliberations and decisions of 8.GA. ------------------------------------ Minutes of the SC's monthly virtual meeting are uploaded a month later after the confirmation in the next meeting. See more details at the SC's Monthly Minutes. Link: <a href="http://ichngo.net/SC/Minutes">http://ichngo.net/SC/Minutes</a>

ICH NGO Forum's documents for the 8th General Assembly of UNESCO's Convention

ICH NGO Forum's documents for the 8th General Assembly of UNESCO's Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage ◼ Statement : <a href="http://www.ichngoforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ICH-NGO-Forum-statement-8-GA-2020-fin.pdf"> http://www.ichngoforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ICH-NGO-Forum-statement-8-GA-2020-fin.pdf</a> ◼ Intervention : <a href="http://www.ichngoforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ICH-NGO-Forum-intervention-8GA-11-fin.pdf"> http://www.ichngoforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ICH-NGO-Forum-intervention-8GA-11-fin.pdf</a> ◼ Item 11 of the 8.GA Agenda - Update on the reflection on the listing mechanism of the Convention : <a href="http://www.ichngoforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Reform-of-the-listing-mechanism_short-report_ICH-NGO-Forum.pdf"> http://www.ichngoforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Reform-of-the-listing-mechanism_short-report_ICH-NGO-Forum.pdf</a> ◼ Invitation to the ICH NGO Forum's online meetings on 14th and 15th September 2020 : <a href="http://www.ichngoforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Invitation-to-ICH-NGO-Forums-online-meetings.pdf"> http://www.ichngoforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Invitation-to-ICH-NGO-Forums-online-meetings.pdf</a>

Follow-Up Activities of the Steering Committee (SC), 5 August 2020

■ ICH NGO Conference co-organized by ICHCAP and ICH NGO Forum Sakr is continuously in contact with ICHCAP concerning the online conference “ICH and resilience in crisis: Implication in the Era of B.C. (Before Corona) and A.C. (After Corona)”. The call for papers has been published, and is open until the mid August. The co-organizers currently discuss the selection of keynote speakers, and how to additionally motivate NGOs to submit their proposals. Members of the Steering Committee suggested few additional experts who could be considered to serve as keynote speakers, especially concerning the theme of resilience system analysis. As for the participation of ICH NGOs, it is important to motivate those that have been continuously involved in the activities of the Forum, but also to be as encouraging as possible to newcomers. ■ Next Newsletter of the Forum The new issue of the Newsletter, dedicated to responses of ICH NGOs to the pandemic, will be published these days. It is quite extensive, probably the most extensive Newsletter in the history of the Forum, with editorial summaries and authorial papers on the impact of COVID-19, as well as very extensive section of announcements, and an elaborated proposal concerning the establishment of a new working group that would deal with the problem of regional imbalance of accredited NGOs. Members of the Steering Committee have agreed for the next Newsletter to be published in the mid November, a week or so after the conference on ICH and resilience, while before the start of the Forum’s programme attached to 15.COM. The central part will include reports from 8.GA, the conference on ICH and resilience and the IMP project, and also provide an overview of the Forum’s activities during 15.COM. In any case, it is planned to be less extensive than the issue that is coming out these days. Nyathi will again coordinate its preparation. ■ Preparation of programme for 8.GA The next Newsletter was initially planned to be published in June, focusing on 3 responses of NGOs to the pandemic. As only a few NGOs responded to our call published in the last Newsletter, it was decided that by the mid June Butholezwe Kgosi Nyathi will contact individuals from each of six regions of the world, asking for their contributions to the Newsletter. In addition, Naila Ceribašić will prepare contribution on musical responses of ICH communities to the pandemic, and Jorge Caicedo on responses of communities devoted to traditional games and sports. Besides, the Newsletter will include a report on IMP project, which will be prepared by Kia Tsakiridis, as well as information on ongoing work related to the preparation of the Forum’s activities at 8.GA and 15.COM, and the joint conference with ICHCAP. ■ Preparation of programme for 8.GA It is confirmed that 8.GA will be held from 8 to 10 September in Paris. None of the member of the Steering Committee will attend it in person. However, we hope that quite visible online presence of the Forum will be feasible. As agreed upon at the previous meeting, the Forum’s programme for 8.GA will consist of two online discussion sessions. One session will be held a few days in advance of 8.GA to discuss agenda and documents for 8.GA from the perspective of ICH NGOs, as well as the Forum’s statement at 8.GA. Another session will be held towards the end of 8.GA to discuss its deliberations and decisions. Caicedo will prepare the first draft of the material which will serve as a basis for the first session, including the draft of our statement at 8.GA. He will also facilitate the session. Nömgård will contact the Secretariat concerning the Forum’s statement. ■ Preparation of programme for 15.COM (1) Establishment of the Election Board The Election Board is still in the process of formation. In a few days from now, it is expected to be completed, consisting of members from the US, Mexico and India. Caicedo, Choi and Sakr are involved in the correspondence with them, and Nömgård 3 is in charge to coordinate the work in order for the Election Board to be formed as soon as possible. (2) ICH NGO Forum report for 15.COM As reported by Ceribašić, among the three thematic sub-groups that had been formed (A. on the history, organization, principles, roles, objectives of the NGOs accredited to the Convention and the ICH NGO Forum; B. on the reform of the listing mechanism; and C. on ICH in emergencies, including COVID-19), the one on ICH in emergencies, facilitated by Matti Hakamäki, has advanced the most in the preparation of an online discussion session, which is intended to enable the broadest possible participation of ICH NGOs in the drafting of the report. The session will be held towards the end of August, and it is expected from two other sub-groups (facilitated by Ceribašić and, respectively, by Hanna Schreiber) to follow suit. ------------------------------------ Minutes of the SC's monthly virtual meeting are uploaded a month later after the confirmation in the next meeting. See more details at the SC's Monthly Minutes. Link: <a href="http://ichngo.net/SC/Minutes">http://ichngo.net/SC/Minutes</a>

Follow-Up Activities of the Steering Committee (SC), 1 July 2020

Follow-Up Activities of the Steering Committee (SC), 1 July 2020 ■ Work of ICH NGO Forum under Coronavirus epidemic Following the previously adopted plan (see minutes of the 7th meeting) and the current situation in Caicedo’s family, the members adopted a revised plan to broaden the number of online discussion sessions on ICH in emergencies and under COVID-19, planned in relation to the preparation of Forum’s report for 15.COM (see 6.b below), from one to several. In coordination with Nömgård, Ceribašić will present this revised plan to Matti Hakamäki, who is in charge of facilitating the work of the group dealing with emergencies and COVID-19. When the circumstances allow, Caicedo will join the group and further develop the initial plan. ■ ICH NGO Conference co-organized by ICHCAP and ICH NGO Forum Since the last meeting of the SC, the topic of the conference has been defined, and call for papers created and discussed between the ICHCAP and the Forum, represented by Sakr. The title of the conference is “ICH and resilience in crisis: Implication in the Era of B.C. (Before Corona) and A.C. (After Corona)”. It will be held online on 12–13 November 2020, while the call for papers will be published these days. ■ Next Newsletter of the Forum The new issue of the Newsletter, dedicated to responses of ICH NGOs to the pandemic, is in the process of preparation. Up to now, Nyathi prepared an overview and singled out specific transversal topics and issues that characterize responses of NGOs to UNESCO’s request to share experiences on this same topic (which are available on UNESCO’s web platform). Also, Ceribašić prepared contribution on music as a “good domain” under the pandemic. As these two parts do not seem to be sufficient, and on the other hand due to lack of responses to our own call to NGOs to share their experiences, the Committee decided that all members (including Caicedo, if possible) will prepare their individual contributions, delineating their own experiences and/or reflections, with either geographical or thematic focus (e.g., Nyathi on African, Nömgård on Scandinavian, and Choi on Korean NGOs, Nikolov on festivals, Sakr on war- vs. pandemic–provoked state of emergency). Photographs or other illustrations should also be provided. Besides, the Newsletter will include a report on IMP project 3 (except if the author would prefer to publish it in the next volume, planned for November), two calls (regarding the conference “ICH and resilience in crisis”, and regarding the formation of a working group on geographical imbalance), and the update on the next GA and COM, including the information on Forum’s planned activities during these events and ongoing preparation for them. The publication of the Newsletter is expected during the third week of July. ■ Preparation of programme for 8.GA According to the newest information that Nömgård received from UNESCO, 8.GA will be held in September. The overall number of participants will be limited to around 300, including probably (but not surely) a few seats reserved for accredited NGOs. There will be no side events, but UNESCO is considering online side events as an alternative. Taking this information into account, the Committee discussed how to proceed with our plans for 8.GA. Only Caicedo and Choi would be willing to travel in Paris, if circumstances allow. In any case, a new plan is to organize two online discussion sessions functioning as the Forum’s side events: a session held a few days in advance of 8.GA to discuss agenda and documents for 8.GA from the perspective of ICH NGOs, the result of which will be also our statement at 8.GA, and a session held towards the end of 8.GA to discuss its deliberations and decisions. Nömgård will inquire whether these two sessions can be included into official (UNESCO’s) list of side events during 8.GA. As for the planned presentation of the wheel of sustainability and its application among NGOs, Nömgård will consult colleagues from Finland concerning a possibility to arrange it as an online event, too. ■ Preparation of programme for 15.COM According to the newest information, 15.COM will be held in Paris, most likely from 14 to 19 December. Due to all circumstances, the Committee decided for its prior annual on-site meeting to be limited to only one day (instead of two days, as it was the case in 2019). Consequently, the previously planned programme, encompassing capacity-building and a symposium, should also be squeezed, and modalities will be discussed at the next meeting of the Committee. ■ Establishment of the Election Board The Committee received only one application for the seat in the Election Board. Nömgård will send a confirmation letter to the applicant. As the minimal number of members of the Board is three, Caicedo, Choi and Nyathi will contact prospective candidates from their regions, asking them to join the Board, and Sakr will take care to prevent delay of the process. Another issue, related to the elections, is that it could easily happen that on-site representation of accredited NGOs will be rather low. Therefore, the option of online voting should be examined. It will be discussed in more detail at the next meeting, and Nikolov will in the meantime inquire with Desiderio the technical requirements for a shift from in-person to online voting. ■ ICH NGO Forum report for 15.COM Nine representatives of ICH NGOs responded to the call for the formation of a sub-committee for the Forum’s report at 15.COM: four from Europe and North America (Anoine Gauthier, Matti Hakamäki, Jorijn Neyrinck, José Martínez Tormo), two from Asia and the Pacific (Qurbonidin Alamshoev, Lance Syme), and one from Eastern Europe (Hanna Schreiber), Africa (Ani Casimir) and international NGOs (Robert Baron). As there were no volunteers from Latin America and Arab States, these regions will be represented by the members of the Steering Committee (Caicedo and Sakr). The sub-committee had its first online meeting, at which it decided to form three thematic groups: A. on the history, organization, principles, roles, objectives of the NGOs accredited to the Convention and the ICH NGO Forum; B. on the reform of the listing mechanism; and C. on ICH in emergencies, including COVID-19. These three themes will make the main parts of the Forum’s report for 15.COM. The work of each thematic group is decided to be as participatory as possible, in terms of a relatively small group preparing the very first draft notes or key points for discussion, followed by the discussion sessions organized online and open to all NGOs. Facilitators are Ceribašić for group A, Schreiber for group B, and Hakamäki for group C. Each group will finish its cycle of deliberations, consisting of preparation for the discussion sessions, the three sessions itself, and consolidation of notes from the sessions, by the end of July. ------------------------------------ Minutes of the SC's monthly virtual meeting are uploaded a month later after the confirmation in the next meeting. See more details at the SC's Monthly Minutes. Link: <a href="http://ichngo.net/SC/Minutes">http://ichngo.net/SC/Minutes</a>

Amid COVID 19, UNESCO Peru defines new ways to inventory living heritage with communities in Ayacucho, Peru

Project: Community-based inventorying of intangible heritage in urban areas (1 January 2018 – 1 December 2021) The call for participation in the pilot project ‘Community-based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage in the urban context of Ayacucho, Peru’ attracted hundreds of applicants. Of these, 56 selected public officials, archaeologists, anthropologists, communicators, teachers, bearers, practitioners and cultural managers came together in January 2020 for an initial training workshop with the objective to set up the methodological framework for the inventorying and to plan the process. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic reached Peru in March 2020, a general confinement was declared, and all field work had to be put on hold. To sustain the interest and momentum gained during the preparatory phase, UNESCO proposed to continue the project during confinement through the use of both digital and analogue technologies, including virtual interviews with bearers and academic researchers. Three online meetings were organized between April and June to present the advancements of the inventorying process. These provided a great opportunity to collect lessons learnt, formulate recommendations and discuss new paths for collaboration. The final virtual workshop on 11 July 2020 was honored by the presence of Ms Mozo Mercado from the Intangible Heritage Directorate of the Ministry of Culture of Peru, and Mr Gutiérrez Gutiérrez, the Mayor of the city of Huamanga. (https://ich.unesco.org/en/news/amid-covid-19-unesco-peru-defines-new-ways-to-inventory-living-heritage-with-communities-in-ayacucho-13270) The video of the workshop is available(in Spanish): <a href="https://www.facebook.com/oficinaunescolima/videos/944348179371253/">https://www.facebook.com/oficinaunescolima/videos/944348179371253/</a>

Follow-Up Activities of the Steering Committee (SC), 3 June 2020

■ Work of ICH NGO Forum under Coronavirus epidemic As a follow-up regarding the UNESCO’s platform on living heritage experiences in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jorge Gustavo Caicedo presented to the Steering Committee the draft call to all accredited NGOs to participate in a video presentation with Q&A on how the pandemic has impacted their activities, what are the measures that they are implementing to confront the situation, and what is the expectation of NGOs on the forthcoming future. All presentations are planned to be held in English, French or Spanish (in one of these languages for a single event) on the Zoom communication platform, and broadcast live to ichngo.net, ichngoforum.org, YouTube and Facebook. The proposal was endorsed by the members of the Steering Committee. The first such “conversation” or “debate”, as these events will be called, will be held towards the end of June or the beginning of July. Jorge Gustavo Caicedo will facilitate those in English and Spanish, and Donghwan Choi those in French. For the start, Caicedo will provide his Zoom key, while further on, if the events will take hold, the Forum will purchase its own license for the Zoom. At the moment, the first task is to complete the call, which will be done by Caicedo in a few days, then to sent it to all accredited NGOs, and then to form the actual online events which, depending on the responses, will stem from regional or thematic interconnections. ■ ICH NGO Conference co-organized by ICHCAP and ICH NGO Forum The Steering Committee has received from ICHCAP the first draft of the Conference concept note containing the outline, background, objectives, provisional programme, and the list of responsibilities for each of the two coorganizers, ICHCAP and ICH NGO Forum. It was decided that Reme Sakr and Meg Nömgård will be our contact persons for this joint project, while Naila Ceribašić will provide help if/when necessary. These days Sakr and Nömgård will analyze the concept note in detail, elaborate our position on each of the mentioned aspects, and clarify with ICHCAP some points (such as the proposal that Forum will be responsible to“ manage online platform during the Conference”). As for the main topic, the Steering Committee is of the opinion that it should be ICH and education, while the pandemic can be one of important sub-topics. In contrast, it seems that ICHCAP is in favour of placing the pandemic as the main topic, and education as one of sub-topics. ■ Next Newsletter of the Forum The next Newsletter was initially planned to be published in June, focusing on 3 responses of NGOs to the pandemic. As only a few NGOs responded to our call published in the last Newsletter, it was decided that by the mid June Butholezwe Kgosi Nyathi will contact individuals from each of six regions of the world, asking for their contributions to the Newsletter. In addition, Naila Ceribašić will prepare contribution on musical responses of ICH communities to the pandemic, and Jorge Caicedo on responses of communities devoted to traditional games and sports. Besides, the Newsletter will include a report on IMP project, which will be prepared by Kia Tsakiridis, as well as information on ongoing work related to the preparation of the Forum’s activities at 8.GA and 15.COM, and the joint conference with ICHCAP. ■ Preparation of programme for 8.GA These days, Meg Nömgård was in contact with Tim Curtis regarding the date and format of 8.GA. At the moment, there is no new information. It is expected to be announced in a few weeks. ■ Preparation of programme for 15.COM (1) Establishment of the Election Board The call regarding the establishment of the 2020 Election Board was prepared by Reme Sakr, and due to help of Gabriele Desiderio and Kaloyan Nikolov it was sent to all accredited NGOs after the last meeting of the Steering Committee. Up to now, we did not receive any application. It was decided for a reminder to be sent on 8 June, two days prior to the deadline. (2) ICH NGO Forum report for 15.COM On 22 May Naila Ceribašić drafted a letter to be sent to accredited NGOs concerning the formation of a sub-committee for the Forum’s report at the 15.COM. In its amended form (concerning the clarification about the planned way of work of the sub-committee), it was endorsed by the Steering Committee. These days, Gabriele Desiderio and Kaloyan Nikolov will send it to the membership. ■ Follow-up on each member responsibilities Naila Ceribašić suggested reviewing the division of labour between the members of the Steering Committee, which was agreed upon at our first meeting, held in Bogotá in December 2019. It has appeared that some continuous aspects of the work of the Committee still deserve more attention, namely the enhancement of regional networks (all members of the SC, but especially those from under-represented regions of Eastern Europe, Latin America, Africa and Arab States), and the improvement of contact with the chairs of the Working Groups (responsibility of Kaloyan Nikolov). As for the Forum’s main projects that were designed in Bogotá last year, the Committee has confirmed that the preparation of programmes attached to 15.COM is expected to start very soon, namely the capacity-building (responsibility of Naila Ceribašić), the symposium (responsibility of Reme Sakr in collaboration with programme coordinator Albert van den Zeijden), and the “Report on the state of safeguarding ICH in Latin America and the Caribbean, and the role of ICH NGOs in safeguarding processes” (responsibility of Jorge Gustavo Caicedo in collaboration with CRESPIAL). ------------------------------------ Minutes of the SC's monthly virtual meeting are uploaded a month later after the confirmation in the next meeting. See more details at the SC's Monthly Minutes. Link: <a href="http://ichngo.net/SC/Minutes">http://ichngo.net/SC/Minutes</a>

Eighth Session of the General Assembly(8.GA) Postponed to 8 to 10 September 2020

The eighth session of the General Assembly of the States Parties to the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (previously foreseen from 25 to 27 August) has been rescheduled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic to 8 to 10 September 2020 (UNESCO Headquarters, Paris). The modality of the General Assembly may be subject to further change, given the unprecedented and evolving situation. Over the three days, 178 States Parties will discuss a number of issues that are important for the safeguarding of living heritage around the world. All working documents for the session will be published by 7 August 2020 on this webpage. Link: <a href="https://ich.unesco.org/en/8ga">https://ich.unesco.org/en/8ga</a>

Follow-Up Activities of the Steering Committee (SC), 6 May 2020

■ Work of ICH NGO Forum under Coronavirus Epidemic After the publication of a general call to NGOs to share their experiences in safeguarding ICH under the epidemic COVID-19 in the last ICH NGO Forum-Newsletter in April, 2020, the Steering Committee has discussed on the second call which would focus on foreseeing the immediate future impact of the pandemic, how it may change the practice of ICH elements, what new challenges are expected in safeguarding, and what would be a path back into “normal”. After the discussion, the members of the Steering Committee agreed to elaborate the complete call before the next meeting of the Steering Committee. ■ Proposal from ICHCAP regarding co-organization of an online ICH NGO Conference ICHCAP has hosted the Asia-Pacific ICH NGO conference every two years since 2016 and the third Asia-Pacific ICH NGO Conference was originally scheduled to be held in Jeonju, South Korea, in November 2020, with the initial theme of ICH and education. But due to the pandemic COVID-19, ICHCAP proposed to the ICH NGO Forum to co-organize the online ICH NGO Conference inviting all the ICH NGOs around the world and broadening the topic to a range of challenges brought by the spread of COVID-19. The Steering Committee accepted the proposal with pleasure and is now under discussion for the details of the online ICH NGO Conference with ICHCAP. ■ Preparation of program for 8.GA Following the conclusion at the previous meeting, the Steering Committee has prepared the application for the two side events of 8.GA that will be co-organized by the Forum: a session dedicated to the outcomes of the IMP project (in collaboration with the project), and a session on the wheel chart of sustainability and ICH (in collaboration with Finland). The application will be sent immediately to UNESCO Secretariat, and as soon as the dates of 8.GA. is confirmed, the preparation of the Forum’s information desk will be finalized. ■ Preparation of program for 15.COM (1) Establishment of the Election Board for 2020 The Steering Committee is to prepare the call for the 2020 ICH NGO Forum Election Board, which was sent to all the ICH NGOs accredited to UNESCO in May. (2) ICH NGO Forum report for 15.COM The Steering Committee will draft an invitation letter to join a working group in the preparation of the Report for 15.COM. and send it to all accredited ICH NGOs. The call for all the accredited ICH NGOs to join the ad-hoc sub-committee for the ICH NGO Forum report at 15.COM was launched on June 9, 2020. As previously agreed, once the working group is established Naila Ceribašić will coordinate its activities on behalf of the Steering Committee. ------------------------------------ Minutes of the SC's monthly virtual meeting are uploaded a month later after the confirmation in the next meeting. See more details at the SC's Monthly Minutes. Link: <a href="http://ichngo.net/SC/Minutes">http://ichngo.net/SC/Minutes</a>

Volunteers for ad hoc sub-committee for the ICH NGO Forum report at 15.COM

Volunteers for ad hoc sub-committee for the ICH NGO Forum report at 15. COM (See below for the french version) Dear colleagues, we hope that this email finds you well and safe from the spread of Covid-19. As you know, at 14. COM the Intergovernmental Committee decided to include our report as a separate agenda item at its next session. It will be first such report in the history of the Forum, and it requires our due attention. Several members of the Steering Committee had an online meeting with UNESCO Secretariat, where we discussed formal requirement for the report. It is expected to be no longer than 5 pages; it may use as a model the reports of ad hoc working groups; the greatest attention should be given to the draft decision as the binding part of the agenda item, while overall contents of the report is up to the Forum to decide. The deadline for completing the English version of the report is the end of September. The Secretariat will translate it into French, and both versions needs to be available at the UNESCO website by 2 November (i.e., a month in advance to 15. COM). Further on, the Steering Committee discussed the contents of the report, and have identified the following parts as the most important: (i) report on the Forum’s activities prior and during 14. COM and on activities prepared for 15.COM, and their contextualization in relation to the role of NGOs in safeguarding ICH in general; (ii) Forum’s views and suggestions pertaining to three important ongoing topics in the work of the Intergovernmental Committee, namely (a) the reform of the listing mechanism, (b) the role of NGOs and possible reform of the accreditation system, and (c) ICH in emergencies; (iii) resilience of communities and their ICH against Coronavirus epidemic (this last topic representing a special, currently burning example of ICH in emergencies in general terms). In order to secure the broadest possible participation of ICH NGOs in the preparation of the report, we have decided to launch an invitation to all accredited NGOs to join ad hoc working subcommittee that will be directly and actively involved in the needed analyses to be conducted and the drafting of the report. It is expected that the work of the subcommittee will be organized into several groups that will be in charge of the above-mentioned parts of the report; members of each group will communicate regularly through email correspondence and online Skype meetings. Those of you who would like to join in, please contact Naila Ceribasic (ichngoforum@gmail.com), a secretary of the Steering Committee who will coordinate the work of the subcommittee, no later than 15 June 2020. With best wishes, Steering Committee of the ICH NGO Forum Volontaires pour le sous-comité ad hoc pour le Rapport du Forum des ONG du PCI à 15. COM Chers collègues, Nous espérons que ce courriel vous trouve bien et à l’abri de la propagation de Covid-19. Comme vous le savez, à 14. COM, le Comité intergouvernemental a décidé d’inscrire un point séparé de l’ordre du jour sur le Rapport du Forum des ONG pour sa prochaine session (15.COM). Il s’agira du premier rapport de ce type dans l’histoire du Forum et il va requérir notre plus grande attention. Plusieurs membres du Comité directeur ont tenu une réunion en ligne avec le Secrétariat de l’UNESCO, au cours de laquelle nous avons discuté des exigences formelles du Rapport. Il ne devrait pas dépasser 5 pages; il pourrait s’inspirer des rapports des groupes de travail ad hoc; la plus grande attention devrait être accordée au projet de décision en tant que partie contraignante du point de l’ordre du jour, tandis que le contenu général du Rapport se met à la discrétion du Forum. La date limite pour rédiger le Rapport en anglais est fin septembre. Le Secrétariat le fera traduira en français, et les deux versions doivent être disponibles sur le site Web de l’UNESCO au plus tard le 2 novembre (c’est-à-dire un mois à l’avance pour 15. COM). Par la suite, le Comité directeur a examiné le contenu du Rapport et a identifié les parties suivantes comme les plus importantes: (i) rapport sur les activités du Forum avant et pendant 14. COM et sur les activités prévues pour 15.COM, et leur contextualisation en ce qui concerne le rôle des ONG dans la sauvegarde du PCI en général; (ii) Points de vue et suggestions du Forum concernant trois sujets importants en cours d’examen dans les travaux du Comité intergouvernemental, à savoir (a) la réforme des mécanismes d’inscription sur les Listes de la Convention, (b) le rôle des ONG et la réforme éventuelle du système d’accréditation, et (c) PCI dans les situations d’urgence; (iii) la résilience des communautés et de leur PCI contre l’épidémie de coronavirus (ce dernier sujet représente un exemple particulier, actuellement brûlant du PCI dans les situations d’urgence en termes généraux). Afin d’assurer la participation le plus large possible des ONG du PCI à la préparation du Rapport, nous avons le plaisir de vous inviter cordialement à toutes les ONG accréditées à se joindre au sous-comité de travail ad hoc qui sera directement et activement impliqué dans les analyses nécessaires à mener et la rédaction du Rapport. Il est prévu que les travaux du sous-comité soient organisés en plusieurs groupes qui seront chargés des parties susmentionnées du Rapport ; les membres de chaque groupe communiqueront régulièrement par courriel et par des réunions Skype en ligne. Si vous voulez s’y joindre, veuillez contacter Naila Ceribasic, secrétaire du Comité directeur qui coordonnera les travaux du sous-comité, par courriel à l’adresse ichngoforum@gmail.com au plus tard le 15 juin 2020. Avec nos meilleurs vœux, Comité directeur du Forum des ONG du PCI

Online training for periodic reporting launched in Latin America and the Caribbean

National focal points for periodic reporting from 33 countries and associated member States of UNESCO across Latin America and the Caribbean took part last Tuesday in the launch of the new online training course for the reformed periodic reporting process, which is being rolled out in the Latin America and Caribbean region for the first time this year. UNESCO developed the course in collaboration with CRESPIAL with the aim to build capacities for the preparation of the country reports and to strengthen the national monitoring processes of the 2003 Convention. It will also provide an occasion for peer learning, networking and strategic discussion among participating focal points and UNESCO colleagues. The course, which has been adapted to an online format in response to the COVID-19 crisis, presents a new modality for delivering training under the global capacity-building strategy, and will take place over a period of six weeks from 19 May to 23 June. Link: <a href=" https://ich.unesco.org/en/news/online-training-for-periodic-reporting-launched-in-latin-america-and-the-caribbean-13264"> https://ich.unesco.org/en/news/online-training-for-periodic-reporting-launched-in-latin-america-and-the-caribbean-13264</a>

Follow-Up Activities of Steering Committee(SC)

■ Publication of the Newsletter The ICHNGO Forum Newsletter was distributed on 10 April, 2020. Link: <a href="http://ipw1.mjt.lu/nl2/ipw1/mhwyz.html?m=AMUAAG4ynZcAAcp9SuoAAAAYkL0AAAAUPK8AAG2QAAhZhABekH6VcK_F42C1S8W_cvNYtqNL4AAH8AE&b=ce917d60&e=796b3e97&x=dcVxVxUKwyeqK1pPsQLBfCpu_MhYZwEb6wit78bUopM"> http://ipw1.mjt.lu/nl2/ipw1/mhwyz.html?m=AMUAAG4ynZcAAcp9SuoAAAAYkL0AAAAUPK8AAG2QAAhZhABekH6VcK_F42C1S8W_cvNYtqNL4AAH8AE&b=ce917d60&e=796b3e97&x=dcVxVxUKwyeqK1pPsQLBfCpu_MhYZwEb6wit78bUopM</a> The SC will issue the next Newsletter at the end of June or the beginning of July, sharing experiences and good practices of ICH in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. ■ Preparation of Program for 8.GA The 8th session of the General Assembly of the States Parties to the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage has been rescheduled to 25 to 27 August, 2020 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. It has appeared that at the moment nobody can be completely sure about the date, format, and agenda of 8.GA yet from the talks with the UNESCO Secretariat of the Convention held on 6 April. It may happen that it will be shortened, that no side events will be organized and/or that it will be postponed again. Nevertheless, the SC continue to prepare for the side events program for 8.GA as originally planned as follows : • A session dedicated to the outcomes of the IMP project • A session on the wheel chart of sustainability and ICH. • But panel presentation and in-depth discussion on the role of NGOs in safeguarding ICH in Latin America and the Caribbean is not certain. • ICHCAP will arrange a meeting between the SC and Category 2 centers during 8.GA. ■ Preparation of program for 15.COM The SC and the UNESCO Secretariat of the Convention discussed the format and contents of the Report of ICH NGO Forum for 15.COM. The Report will be comprised of the following parts: i) report on the Forum's activities prior and during 14.COM and on activities prepared for 15.COM, and their contextualization in relation to the role of NGOs in safeguarding ICH in general; ii) Forum's views and suggestions pertaining to three important ongoing topics in the work of the Intergovernmental Committee, namely a) the reform of the listing mechanism, b) the role of NGOs and possible reform of the accreditation system, and c) ICH in emergencies; and iii) resilience of communities and their ICH against Coronavirus pandemic For more active involvement of ICH NGOs in the preparation of the report, the SC decided to send an invitation to all accredited NGOs to join a working group. The issue of approval of membership in the NGO Forum was brought up at the SC, and will be discussed at the General Assembly of ICH NGO Forum to be held during 15.COM. ■ Establishment of the Election Board Since the Election Board was not nominated at the General Meeting held in Bogota last year, the SC will launch a call for expression of interest among accredited NGOs to serve in the 2020 Election Board. ------------------------------------ Minutes of the SC's monthly virtual meeting are uploaded a month later after the confirmation in the next meeting. See more details at the SC's Monthly Minutes. Link: <a href ="http://ichngo.net/SC/Minutes">http://ichngo.net/SC/Minutes</a>

UNESCO launches platform on living heritage and the COVID-19 pandemic

IMPACT ON LIVING HERITAGE Experiences shared so far through the online survey have shown the scale of disruption across the world, with many significant festive events and rituals cancelled or postponed. Some communities can no longer access the cultural and natural spaces and places of memory necessary for expressing their intangible cultural heritage, while others are restricted from coming together to share and enjoy many aspects of their intangible cultural heritage, so important to them. This has not only caused disruptions in the social and cultural lives of many, but has also resulted in loss of income for many bearers and practitioners of intangible cultural heritage. Those working in the performing arts and traditional crafts, who largely operate in the informal sector, have been particularly hard hit. Although it is still early to assess the economic costs, artisans the world over have responded to the survey noting loss of livelihoods as they face challenges in supplying orders and accessing raw materials. ADAPTING TO CRISIS Intangible cultural heritage, however, is dynamic in nature and has the capacity to adapt and evolve. Survey results demonstrate that communities have sought ways to continue practicing their intangible cultural heritage, despite quarantine and confinement measures. Many Holy Week celebrations for example, from Colombia to Venezuela and Croatia to Italy, still went ahead this year, albeit in adapted form. Online initiatives and platforms have sprung up, providing new ways to disseminate and transmit knowledge about intangible cultural heritage. In Georgia, traditional feasts continue to take place online, with tables of traditional food and drinks arranged in front of computer screens and toasts performed virtually. Social networks are playing a prominent role in helping people stay connected while being physically apart. For folk singers in Rajasthan, India, who must often travel to perform, live performances are organized through Facebook, providing a sense of solidarity with other artists and hope to continue. More time spent in the home has heightened opportunities for teaching about intangible cultural heritage within the family. From Jamaica to Lebanon, many traditional cultural practices, such as culinary traditions and crafts, are being revisited under lockdown. Parents are cooking traditional meals with young members of the family, using recipes passed down from older generations and sharing the results online. TOOLS FOR RESILIENCE While the COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the fragility of living heritage in emergencies, such situations can also provide reinvigorating or creative contexts for intangible cultural heritage, prompting the re-emergence or renewal of interest in abandoned elements or even the emergence of new ones. Many elements of intangible cultural heritage are being transformed in the context of the pandemic to support and reinforce public health measures. Artists in Peru and China, for example, are creating face masks using traditional design and techniques. Amazigh communities in the Moroccan Atlas Mountains share poetic verses related to COVID-19. Traditional string puppet performances in Sri Lanka tell stories of confinement and social distancing, while in Senegal, the mythical figure of Kankurang, traditionally the guarantor of order and justice, parades the streets from 8pm until dawn, enforcing village curfew. SHARE YOUR STORY Explore these stories and more on UNESCO’s web platform on living heritage and the COVID-19 pandemic. Living heritage continues to be important for all of us during crisis, in providing a sense of connection and continuity and reinforcing the social bonds between us. How have you been engaging with your living heritage in response to the pandemic? And what role can living heritage play in such difficult times? Share your story through our online survey and tell us your experience of living heritage during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Follow-Up Activities of Steering Committee(SC)

■ Preparation of program for 8.GA (1) 8.GA has been rescheduled from 9-11 June to 25-27 August, 2020. (2) Arranging ICH NGO Forum Desk for 8th General Assembly. (Guiding NGOs to present their materials such as leaflets, brochures, perhaps also posters, etc./ letters to be sent to all accredited NGOs) (3) Organizing a panel presentation and in-depth discussion on one or two success stories of good, viable, and innovative safeguarding practices.(The outcomes of the ICH and Museums (IMP) project to be presented) ■ Preparation of program for 15.COM (1) The theme of the Symposium is “ICH and Tourism.” (2) The joint session on the “Wheel Chart of Sustainability and ICH” co-organized by Finland (Sharing chart’s application in the work of ICH NGOs and their role in safeguarding) (3) The report of accredited NGOs will be introduced as a separate agenda. The reform of the listing mechanism, regional reporting, application of the overall results framework, treatment of correspondence from the public, etc. will be discussed. ■ The Network of European Museum Organization (NEMO) invited the Forum to join the international advisory board of the project proposal within the Horizon 2020 called “Culture Beyond Borders,” which intends to design a comprehensive strategy for cultural heritage and museums. Minutes of SC's monthly virtual meeting are uploaded a month later after the confirmation in the next meeting.

Living heritage experiences in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic

While we are currently going through extraordinary conditions of lockdown on a global scale due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, we are also seeing the ways in which the impact of this crisis goes beyond our physical health. Festivals and cultural events are being cancelled or postponed, and cultural practices and rituals are being restricted, causing disruptions in the lives of many people. At the same time, we are seeing how living heritage can be a source of resilience in such difficult circumstances, as people continue to draw inspiration, joy and solidarity from practising their living heritage. With this in mind, UNESCO is inviting its partners to share their experiences on the role of living heritage during the pandemic and how its safeguarding has been affected in the immediate term. We hope that these stories will help enhance our learning about safeguarding living heritage in the context of COVID-19 and inspire communities to learn from each other and exchange experiences. Please send us your experience through our online form (English|French|Spanish). You may wish to include information directly collected by your organization or other stories that you are aware of related to living heritage during the coronavirus pandemic. We also encourage you to circulate this call with your networks and communities who may be interested. For any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us directly: ich.com@unesco.org.

Reports of the ICH NGO Forum at the Pre & 14th Session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of ICH to be held in Bogota from 7 to 14 December 2019.

You can find the attached reports of the ICH NGO Forum activities at Pre-14.COM and 14.COM held in Bogota, Colombia from 7 to 14 December 2019.

Nordic-Baltic ICH Network established, Kaustinen ICH seminar 2019 video available online

The Nordic and Baltic network on Intangible Cultural Heritage was established 13.7.2019 at the Kaustinen Intangible Cultural Heritage Seminar 2019. The organization of the network will be discussed in a satellite meeting associated with the first Nordic ICH conference Living heritage in the Nordic countries. International seminar on the UNESCO 2003 Convention, 31.10–1.11.2019 in Hanaholmen Cultural Centre, Espoo, Finland. See more information on the network and watch the Kaustinen seminar video( <a href="http://www.kansanmusiikki-instituutti.fi/toiminta/nordic-baltic-ich-network/"> http://www.kansanmusiikki-instituutti.fi/toiminta/nordic-baltic-ich-network/</a>/).

Baul Fakir Mela in New Delhi on 9th-10th November, 2019

Nearly 200 Baul-Fakiri songs, Bengali Qawaali and Dhamail songs were sung by a whopping community of 60 Baul-Fakir musicians from Bengal before around 1500 people, if not more, at the Meghdoot Open Air Theater Auditorium of Sangeet Natak Academy, New Delhi, over a span of 13 hours across 2 days. Around 70% of the audience, meaning, more than 1000 of the audience were from the diaspora Bengali community of New Delhi. Again, the fact that more than 500 among the attendees were from the non-Bengali communities residing in and around Delhi was, in itself, no mean feat!

Jeonju International Awards for Promoting Intangible Cultural Heritage

The Jeonju International Awards for Promoting Intangible Cultural Heritage aims to recognize good safeguarding practices of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) and to encourage the proliferation of values of ICH such as social cohesion, cooperation, and cultural diversity for the future development of the global community. The awards are given to individuals, groups, institutions, NGOs, and those who have made substantial contributions to promoting ICH. Jeonju City is happy to made an opportunity to praise their commitments and indomitable spirit for the safeguarding of ICH. Taking the first step in 2019, Jeonju International Awards for Promoting ICH hopes to become sustainable with prestige gaining a great deal of attention from the world. A) Significance The Jeonju International Awards for Promoting ICH are international awards established by Jeonju, a city of traditional culture. The local government, Jeonju City, took the initiative to transmit, safeguard, and promote ICH around the world. Jeonju is a cultural city with a lot of ICH compared to other cities, and the identity of the city is sought from creativity based on old tradition and culture. The spirit of safeguarding ICH initiated by UNESCO comes from the same context. Jeonju City sets another milestone in the field of ICH safeguarding by enacting the 'Jeonju International Awards for Promoting ICH.' The awards are for the praise of those who have devoted themselves to the universal values of humanity transcending nation, ethnic, religion, or gender. Jeonju, a provincial city, wishes further for the awards to play a role for the harmony of the global community, the development of human culture, and the sustainable development for the future. Jeonju believes that its intangible cultural heritage left by forefathers can be a valuable asset in the 4th industrial revolution era. Instead of regarding it as merely old and obsolete, Jeonju is trying to launch the intangible cultural heritage into digital heritage and move on to a smart city. Jeonju has been at the forefront of the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage in the age of advanced science and technology and opening a new era. Opening this year for the first time, the awards had gained great positive feedback from around the world. Forty-eight applicants from thirty-six different countries applied for the awards, which was encouraging. In the future, Jeonju will continue to honor those who have contributed to the safeguarding and transmission of ICH through this awards. We hope that the awards become the lighthouse of hope for all ICH holders, groups, and individuals who are striving to safeguard ICH. B) Awardees 1. Contact Base, India Contact Base is working domestically and internationally to safeguard the traditional art of India. Due to rapid changes in lifestyle of India, the skills in art and craft, traditional knowledge on nature are not recognized as employable skills in conventional developmental paradigm. To empower the tradition bearers to develop micro economies based on traditional art and craft skills, Contact Base is helping them with the initiative 'Art for Life.' Contact Base is accredited to the UNESCO 2003 ICH Committee (since 2010) and is in Special Consultative Status with UN ECOSOC (since 2013). It has partnership with UNWTO to promote responsible cultural tourism. Initiated in 2004, Art for Life has led to revitalization of 30+ art and craft traditions of eastern India and socio economically empowered 28000+ families of folk dancers, singers, theatre groups, storytellers, mat weavers and crafts persons. Contact Base is also working for collecting inventories and transmitting tradition. Contact Base has won the Bihar Innovation Forum II award (World Bank supported) for Art for Life model as a good practice in non-farm sector (2014) and UNWomen Mastercard Award for Best Community Outreach Project (2011). 2. Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador (HFNL), Canada Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. It’s a province with a rich intangible cultural heritage, with both indigenous populations, and a settler population of predominantly English/Irish ancestry. HFNL developed a variety of training programs and community-based workshops to introduce the concept of ICH and to provide practical training. Since then, HFNL has organized several festivals, coupled with work to inventory and promote ICH. In 2014, HFNL was accredited as an non-governmental organization by UNESCO (ITH/12/4.GA/6). The ICH Office at HFNL has achieved through policies that support initiatives to celebrate, record, disseminate and promote ICH and help to build bridges between diverse cultural groups within and outside Newfoundland and Labrador. One of its broad initiatives is the ICH Inventory, a repository of collected ethnographic material, including audio interviews, oral histories, video interviews, events and practices recordings, photographs, ephemera, and print materials, such as maps, drawings, architectural floor plans of vernacular buildings. HFLN has won the Manning Award for St. John’s [HERE]SAY Project in recognition of excellence in the Public Presentation of Historic Places (2011). The ICH Office nominated Mummering to the Provincial Historic Commemorations Program (2011). It was nominated Traditional Games of Newfoundland and Labrador to the Provincial Historic Commemorations Program (2015). It has received an Honourable Mention for Canada’s Governor General’s History Award for Excellence in Community Programming (2018). 3. Ahmed Skounti, Morocco Mr. Ahmed Skounti is a professor in Anthropology at the National Institute of Archaeology and Heritage Sciences (INSAP, Rabat, Morocco). He contributed to the drafting and adoption of the 2003 ICH Convention during the intergovernmental meetings in 2002 and 2003. He actively participated to the drafting of the Operational Directives of the Convention since 2006. He is a facilitator of the 2003 Convention since 2011. He is currently contributing to the UNESCO capacity-building programme in many countries, mainly in North Africa, Subsaharan Africa and the Middle East. He assists some of the States Parties in this region with designing policies in the field of the intangible cultural heritage (Morocco, Sudan and Tunisia). He is contributing a lot to the development and sustainability of ICH on the regional level and on the international level.

Outdoor Events at the Jeonju International Awards

Exhibition & Hands-on Experience of ICH -Patachitra exhibition -Hapjukseon (Fan making) -Jihwa (paper Flower) -Jeonju Yiyangju (Folk Liquor) -Hanji paper photo exhibition -Jeonju future cultural heritage exhibition

The First Jeonju International Awards

Congratulations to the winners! Winners are Contact Base from India, Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador of Canada and Professor Ahmed Skounti of Morocco.

Green Ivory - An Exhibition on Shola Craft of Bengal

The project ‘Revival of Shola Craft Tradition of Bengal’ implemented by banglanatak dot com supported by The Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany Kolkata; is an attempt to revitalize the traditional art of Shola of Bengal. Shola (Aeschynomene aspera) is a milky white, delicate spongy plant found in the marshlands of Bengal. The pith of the reeds of the plant is used to make items of decoration. This exhibition Green Ivory is an attempt to showcase the variations that the craft offers and create a platform for discussing how the craft can be taken forward. The varieties of unexplored ritualistic, decorative and contemporary products of Shola will be showcased during the exhibition.

Green Ivory

The project Revival of Shola Craft Tradition of Bengal by banglanatak dot com supported by The Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany Kolkata; is an attempt to revitalize the symbolic abstraction of emotion using Shola. Shola is a milky white, delicate spongy plant mostly found in marshy lands of West Bengal, India. Exhibition Green Ivory is a part of the above mentioned project which will be held between 17 July and 19 July, 2019 at Bengal Art Gallery, International Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), Kolkata in India. The varieties of unexplored ritualistic, decorative and contemporary products of Shola will be showcased by the rural artists of West Bengal, India.

Announcement of the 2019 Jeonju International Awards for Promoting Intangible Cultural Heritage

We express our sincere gratitude to all applicants for the 2019 Jeonju International Awards for Promoting Intangible Cultural Heritage. We recognize and deeply appreciate what you and your organizations have achieved with respect to the safeguarding and revitalization of ICH. The selection process was very challenging as all applicants demonstrated good practices for the safeguarding ICH with courage and lofty spirit. Only three applicants (individuals and organizations) were selected as finalists from forty-eight applicants from 36 countries on six continents. Jeonju City announces the following three finalist candidates for public verification as the final process for the 2019 Jeonju International Awards for Promoting Intangible Cultural Heritage. The finalist candidates can be found on the following link: <a href="http://www.cics.center/jiapich_Announcement/">http://www.cics.center/jiapich_Announcement/</a>

2nd Jeonju-ChiangMai International Conference on Traditional Culture

This international conference is organized in order to exchange the knowledge of intangible cultural heritage between Jeonbuk National University of Jeonju and Chiang Mai University. The first conference was held in the city of Chiang Mai on August, 2018 hosted by the Chiang Mai Creative City of Crafts and Folk Arts (CCMCCFA), the UNESCO Creative City of Chiang Mai.

The 5th Workshop of UNESCO accredited NGO Association in Korea

The four UNESCO accredited NGOs(IMACO, WoMAU, CICS, KCHF of Korea are now having a workshop in Andong city, Republic of Korea.

National inventory: places, rituals, practices

Aigine Curltural Research Center (Kyrgyzstan) continues the inventory of sacred sites and related practices under the project " Safeguarding of Practices and Rare Rituals Related to Sacred Sites in Kyrgyzstan: Preparation of an Inventory and Safeguarding Measures." At this stage, desk researches are conducted on the basis of the organization’s previous field materials. The purpose of this researches is to compile national lists of sacred places, practices and rituals performed on places of pilgrimage. In the course of the desk researches, the lists of sacred sites are clarified and the rituals of each region are described. Interviews are also held with spiritual practitioners. Interviews are held in the format of real and online meetings, telephone conversations. The stage of desk research precedes the work with regional teams. On 20 February 2019, Aigine CRC conducted a preliminary workshop in the framework of the project. The main goal of the workshop was to discuss ways and patterns of inventorying rituals and practices related to sacred site pilgrimage. During the workshop, participants became acquainted with UNESCO ICH and the relevant provisions of 2003 Convention, as well as experience of other counties on inventorying ICH. The sacred site guardians and activists, members of the interested community groups, journalists and MA students of the Anthropology department took part in the workshop. The project " Safeguarding of Practices and Rare Rituals Related to Sacred Sites in Kyrgyzstan: Preparation of an Inventory and Safeguarding Measures" started in December 2018 and is supported by the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Foundation (France).

Master’s TEMA Heritage Studies Program (including ICH) and scholarships are available!

Master’s TEMA Heritage Studies Program (including ICH) and scholarships are available in Europe! Applications must be sent before February 24,2019. The TEMA Erasmus Mundus master's program in heritage studies, funded by the European Union, will be offering 20 scholarships of a value of 30 000 euros for the two year period from September 2019 to August 2021. Scholarship: 30 000 euros over two years. Study Program: all students are required to spend the first semester in Budapest (Sept. to December 2019); and the other three at the partner university of their choice (EHESS in Paris, Charles University in Prague, University of Catania in Catania, Italy, or Laval University in Quebec City (Master's Program in Ethnology and Heritage) Languages of study: English and French Co-graduation: Master's degree in the Erasmus Mundus program and Master's degree at the university of study. Deadline for submission of applications: 24 February 17h00 Application forms: available on the website: <a href="https://mastertema.eu/">https://mastertema.eu/</a>

2018 ICH NGO FORUM : Meetings with Assistant Director-General

Meetings on ICH NGO FORUM with Assistant Director-General !

ICH NGO FORUM Steering Committee New Members!!

ICH NGO FORUM Steering Committee New Members !! Welcome !

ELECTIONS of ICH NGO FORUM Steering Committee

ELECTIONS of ICH NGO FORUM Steering Committee Port-Louis, Mauritius

Ssirum : Traditional Korean Wrestling

2018 World Forum for ICH "Intangible Cultural Heritage and Peace"

The 2018 World Forum for Intangible Cultural Heritage themed with Intangible Cultural Heritage and Peace was finished successfully thanks to enthusiasm and active involvement of all the participants, and the great help and efforts of all the volunteers and staff members of the CICS, the secretariat. It was held at the Intangible Heritage Center in Jeonju city for three days from October 25 to 27. The forum opened grandly with the keynote speech titled 'Intangible Cultural Heritage and Peace-making' by Marielza Oliveira, Director of UNESCO Beijing Office. Welcome performances, especially Jeollabuk-do Children's Korean Traditional Music Orchestra thrilled the audience the most. Also H.E. Amin Muhammad Dalhatu, embassador of Nigeria in Seoul, attended the open ceremony and congratulated the forum. All the interest showing from distinguished guests including Mayor of Jeonju city, representatives of other organizations, and experts working in the field of ICH led the forum to the successful event as well. The praises that the forum has had were that it provided the platform connecting people as a network, that it gave a broaden knowledge about ICH and gave an opportunity to learn other areas in ICH fields, and that it gave different perspectives to understand ICH. As an outcome of the forum, the secretariat (CICS) is planning to make a publication of the presentation to make it known to more people. Safeguarding ICH is building a peace. ICH connects all among individuals, communities, groups, experts, governments, and policy-makers. It is because it asks for their cooperation desperately.

Latvian song & dance celebration Participation

Fun!!!

CICS at the ICHNGO platform in the 7th session of the General Assembly

CICS at the ICHNGO platform

Having wonderful time at 7. GA

Networking with other NGOs for safeguarding ICH is i nspiring!

Jeonju Declaration on "Intangible Cultural Heritage, a Resource for the City of Today and Tomorrow."

Jeonju Declaration on "Intangible Cultural Heritage, a Resource for the City of Today and Tomorrow" - Adopted in Jeonju, Republic of Korea, Oct. 28, 2017 We, the participants of the 2017 World Intangible Cultural Heritage Forum (hereinafter referred to as the "Forum") express our sincere gratitude to the officials of Jeonju City, the National Intangible Heritage Center of Korea and the Center for Intangible Culture Studies (Jeonju). In particular, we are thankful for the possibility of holding in-depth discussions under the auspices of Mayor Kim Seung-soo and the Director Cho Hyun Jung of the National Intangible Heritage Center. The importance of intangible cultural heritage in cities is becoming increasingly apparent. According to the spirit of the UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage and in light of the Sustainable Development Goals of Agenda 2030, the significance of intangible cultural heritage and its safeguarding cannot be underestimated. In particular, we recognize its power as a resource for enhancing the social, economic, environmental and cultural conditions, aspirations and capacities of all urban people. Intangible cultural heritage and its safeguarding in urban contexts is underexplored and under-represented in policy-making, and its potentials to improve the quality of people’s lives and of the urban environment have not yet been fully utilized. We are very pleased to have had the opportunity to conduct discussions on this vital question and, while acknowledging there is still much work to be done, we present the following areas for future investigation and engagement: 1. ICH and Developing Sustainable Cities Harnessing the power of intangible cultural heritage for realizing the potential of the SDGs, in particular Goal 11 on Sustainable Cities and Communities, through developing policies with full participation of all stakeholders. 2. ICH and Decent Work Providing jobs, decent work and livelihoods for urban people by utilizing the potential of ICH, as is being explored in the UNESCO programmes of Craft Cities and Gastronomic Creative Cities. 3. ICH and Human Rights Addressing the needs and aspirations of people living in cities, including marginalized, vulnerable and disadvantaged groups, through the potential of safeguarding ICH to reduce disparities and ensure social cohesion and inclusion, among others. 4. ICH, Cultural Diversity and Identity Cultivating and celebrating the identity of the city, enriched by the diversity of its different cultures and histories, as a contact zone of mutual interaction where ICH can be safeguarded. 5. ICH and Creativity Mobilizing ICH as a resource for creative industries with the participation of communities, groups, and other relevant stakeholders, inspiring and stimulating the creativity of people from different backgrounds.

The 3rd Workshop of UNESCO Accredited NGO Association, Korea [UANAK]

The 3rd Workshop of UNESCO Accredited NGO Association, Korea [UANAK] The five UNESCO accredited NGOs in Korea gathered in Chungju for a workshop to share information and strengthen networks organized by WoMAU (World Martial Arts Union) on February 22, 2018. Due to the Pyeonchang Winter Olympic Games, the related organizations became very busy and many of them could not participate in the workshop. Each organization reported its activities throughout the year 2017 and had an apportunity to share its initiatives and knowledge. All seemed different but verified the common goal of safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage. They made sure to keep up the good work to build up capacities of the regional NGOs. They all agreed to take a good advantage of the web-board (ichngo.net), for activating networks, that CICS (Center for Intangible Culture Studies)has launched. The web-board is now being launched as a Beta version and being tested. It is believed that it would be a promising to boost networks both in accredited regional NGOs and non-accredited NGOs domestically and internationally. Another workshop is to be held in this September (2018) organized by Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation (FCHF). More fruitful talks for networking and safeguarding the ICH will be expected to be exchanged.